Something made me think they were a little bit dark sounding. Not sure where I got that idea. Also, I never heard an impressive demo.

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It is a tad bit dark sounding but I was able to adjust the EQ on the output of the Kemper so that it matched the sound that was coming out of Studio Monitors. It does the FRFR thing really well while giving you that "amp in room" feel. It also looks so awesome. I play in a 60s' cover band so the vintage look it has was definitely attractive to me.

It is a tad bit dark sounding but I was able to adjust the EQ on the output of the Kemper so that it matched the sound that was coming out of Studio Monitors. It does the FRFR thing really well while giving you that "amp in room" feel. It also looks so awesome. I play in a 60s' cover band so the vintage look it has was definitely attractive to me.

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I agree. They look the business! I would assume that Friedman sorted out any problems they may have had. I listen to Dave on Tone Talk on youtube fairly regularly. He doesn't ever mention the FRFR cabinet. And he is very tight lipped about modeling, too. You can tell that is not his passion. He doesn't flat out dis modeling, but...

I agree. They look the business! I would assume that Friedman sorted out any problems they may have had. I listen to Dave on Tone Talk on youtube fairly regularly. He doesn't ever mention the FRFR cabinet. And he is very tight lipped about modeling, too. You can tell that is not his passion. He doesn't flat out dis modeling, but...

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As always, you guys inspired me to go play between posts!

1959 SLP with the 335.

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Dave sure knows how to make a Marshall rip so I can understand his angst.

Playing? What's that? Everyone knows we spend more time typing than picking on this site.

That Goldtop has 1952 P90s in it. It sounds glorious through my 64 AC30 but it's very finicky with my other amps. I plug it into the Kemper and it's just the shiznit with just about any profile! I swear it hums less too, and I don't use the noise gate on the Kemper.

As for the Strat, all my Strats sound great whatever I plug them into. The Kemper just gives me more options for greatness.

frankvWhat Are You Waiting For?Double Platinum SupporterPremium MemberV.I.P. Member

That Goldtop has 1952 P90s in it. It sounds glorious through my 64 AC30 but it's very finicky with my other amps. I plug it into the Kemper and it's just the shiznit with just about any profile! I swear it hums less too, and I don't use the noise gate on the Kemper.

As for the Strat, all my Strats sound great whatever I plug them into. The Kemper just gives me more options for greatness.

Tomorrow may be 335 and Tele day!

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I am happy to see that after two years of me screaming from the top of the forum you are finally seeing some light with this stuff..

frankvWhat Are You Waiting For?Double Platinum SupporterPremium MemberV.I.P. Member

The Mrs. did buy me one of these for Christmas and like Vortex, mine is also going back. It gets many things right but, falls short in some very important ways.

First, the good:

1) It is small and lightweight
2) If you want a backline or a sidefill, it looks cooler than a PA cab.
3) It is extremely quiet. I had no noticeable hiss or noise running the volume up full tilt on the cab.
4) It will get surprisingly loud and full for such a small package.
5) It has enough detail and resolution at low to medium levels to hear the finer details in each profile.
6) It loves Strats and Teles.

As for the bad:

1) As it gets cranked up to loud stage levels, the details begin to smear and it begins to sound boxy.
2) Look at this volume control below the two , gold RCA jacks:
yes, it sticks out above the back plane of the cabinet. That may be OK if it never leaves a studio or a bedroom but on the road, I guarantee you it will break off before the 3rd gig, road case or not.
3) It's warmer tonality works well for bright guitars used in more vintage settings. The Mission wouldn't be my 1st choice for any metal, punk or other style that requires a raw, edgy tone, particularly if it has to be loud.
4) A few posters on other sites identified this unit as using a coaxial driver like the well-regarded Gemini series. Sweetwater stated in one of its ads that it was a coaxial driver. It is not. It uses a 12" neodymium woofer and a 1" compression driver on a circular horn mounted to the top and right of the woofer.

Compared to the Meyer, the Mission was noticeably smearing details in the upper mids. Considering the Meyer is one of the finest reference monitors ever made, that is not surprising. The warmth of the Mission was noticeable and made my guitars sound more natural. However, that warmth tends to get in the way as the volume is cranked up and I found myself appreciating the clarity and detail of the Meyer as it was turned up.

I confess, I LOVE my EVM 12S drivers for guitar sounds that are primarily preamp driven. They have a smooth high end, a detailed, textured midrange, tons of tight bass and are practically indestructible. The more well-known 12L was a dedicated guitar loudspeaker, with a mid-high bump to provide some projection. The 12S, was designed as a sound reinforcement loudspeaker for use in PA boxes so, it was designed to be a bit more neutral, which works to my advantage when I drive it with my powered Kemper and turn off the cab emulation.

Compared to the EV loaded pine cab, the Mission was noticeably lacking in textured mids. The Mission just sounded too smooth, too polished and too processed. Through the EV with a little EQ, my guitars had that detailed, textured, complex mid range that I love. Perhaps that is more a function of the miced cab in the Kemper profile but, with just a slight boost of the presence control on the Kemper monitor output EQ, I was able to get more detail out of the EV than I was able to get out of the Mission before it got ragged and harsh. Where the Mission gets garbled as it gets louder, the EV stays just as tight and detailed at any level. Granted, I am not a fan of using a synthesized miced tone for my stage monitoring, but I expected more from the Mission based upon the Gemini reviews and clips I heard and particularly after one guitar magazine reviewer claimed the IO achieved the highly elusive amp-in-room tone and feel. I didn't hear it or feel it.

Aside from the above, I think the Mission is a great idea from a size and style point of view, but the execution doesn't deliver on the promise. If it was a $600 cabinet, I could see it being of value for small gigs that don't require a raunchy style and for meeting strict travel requirements but, at $899, I think the IO is considerably over-priced for what it delivers, particularly compared to its competitors.

I am not giving up on the FRFR concept just yet. I want to try a Xitone Michael Britt 1x12 convertible back if I can verify some dimensions. It may JUST fit in my pack but at over 40 pounds, I am not sure I am gaining any advantage over my EVM-loaded pine cabs.

I am happy to see that after two years of me screaming from the top of the forum you are finally seeing some light with this stuff..

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Yeah, I am pretty happy with the Kemper as being a part of my lineup. I am not at the true-believer point of forsaking all other amps and trying to evangelize the heathens, but I am honest about what works and doesn't work for me and don't mind sharing my personal observations if it can help a brother out.

I think it is a "good" cabinet, but for $900 it better be great and it is not. The Geminis I heard sounded great but I think they are overpriced compared to Xitone and Redsound.

How would you compare the sound between the Xitone wedges and MB? I have no need nor desire for wedges. If I need wedges, I will have the monitor engineer put me in them. I would rather go IEM.

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I only played the wedge through my Helix so whatever difference there is I truly couldn't say. I just liked the 'unflavored' sound of the wedge if that makes any sense. Not that the MB sounded bad. From what I understand it is tweaked a bit different as per MB request. The person who played the MB through a Fractal rack thing also preferred the wedge.

Being FRFR-less for the next few weeks I plugged the Helix into a pair of Mackie CR3 monitors I got on sale about a month ago. Turns out to be a nice little stereo practice rig.

I only played the wedge through my Helix so whatever difference there is I truly couldn't say. I just liked the 'unflavored' sound of the wedge if that makes any sense. Not that the MB sounded bad. From what I understand it is tweaked a bit different as per MB request. The person who played the MB through a Fractal rack thing also preferred the wedge.

Being FRFR-less for the next few weeks I plugged the Helix into a pair of Mackie CR3 monitors I got on sale about a month ago. Turns out to be a nice littles stereo practice rig.

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Thanks for that but for my gigs, I am sticking with my EV loaded pine boxes for now. I received my RA for the Mission and spoke to one of my favorite cabinet makers about a custom 1x12 for one of my EVs. The tweed cab sounds great but I want something with a bit more low end, a bit taller and more Marshall-looking. Reviews will be coming in about 3 weeks.

Thanks for that but for my gigs, I am sticking with my EV loaded pine boxes for now. I received my RA for the Mission and spoke to one of my favorite cabinet makers about a custom 1x12 for one of my EVs. The tweed cab sounds great but I want something with a bit more low end, a bit taller and more Marshall-looking. Reviews will be coming in about 3 weeks.

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I guess it doesn't mater at this point but I found this on the Helix forum about the MB cab EQ settings.

Thanks for that. I am sure the MB is a nice sounding cab, but I need something smaller and lighter. I am sure Mission or someone else will take the concept of the IO and make it gig worthy. Until then, I am happy with what I have.